Hydronic heating system, hanger for tubing and method of using same to install the hydronic heating system

ABSTRACT

A hydronic heating system that is rapidly installed using a hanger for suspending a tubing that conducts heated fluid beneath a floor to be heated. The hanger includes a stem having an upper loop for securing the hanger to the underside of a floor and a helical hook at a bottom end of the stem for supporting the tubing. The hanger can be made of a single piece of metal wire.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This is the first application filed for the present invention.

MICROFICHE APPENDIX

Not Applicable.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates generally to radiant heating systems and,in particular, to hangers for installing tubing in a radiant heatingsystem.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Radiant heating systems for living and/or working spaces are widelyknown. One popular type of radiant heating system for these applicationsis the hydronic heating system wherein a heated fluid such as water ispumped through an endless tubing loop installed under a floor (“RFH” orRadiant Floor Heating) or inside a wall (“RWH” or Radiant Wall Heating).Heat is supplied to the living area or workspace from heated fluidcirculated through the endless loop which heats the floor or wall vianatural heat transfer mechanisms, i.e. radiation, convection andconduction. The fluid is typically heated by a boiler which burns acarbonaceous fuel such as natural gas or fuel oil or, alternatively, bya gas or electrical heated water heater, or the like.

Traditionally, hydronic heating coils have been installed between floorjoists or wall studs with at least one loop between each pair ofadjacent joists or studs. Furthermore, the endless loop hastraditionally been supported in close contact with the floor or wallsurface and heat conductive plates have been used to enhance theradiation of heat from the endless loop to the undersurface of thefloor.

Prior art radiant heating systems suffer from a number of disadvantages.First, the radiant plates which support the heating tubes are secureddirectly to the floor or wall surface. This promotes “hot spots” on thefloor or wall. Heating fluid temperatures must therefore be controlledin order to prevent hot spots which could prove injurious ordiscomforting to occupants of the heated space. Second, plastic tubingused in hydronic heating system is vulnerable to puncture by fastenersdriven through the flooring or the wall structure by persons who are notaware of the hazard. Such accidental damage to the heating system cancause water damage and potentially cause damage to the fluiddistribution pump and/or the boiler used for heating the fluid. Third,at least one loop is required in each inter-joist space in order to layout the endless heating loop efficiently as well as to provide adequateradiant heat in most climates. Fourth, as noted above most boilersoperate at temperatures which exceed the desired temperature of a floorsurface. It is therefore necessary to provide some mechanicalarrangement to prevent fluid heated by the boiler from circulating in anundiluted condition through the hydronic heating system. Expensive flowcontrol components which must be installed by skilled workmen aretherefore required in the heating system. This contributes to the costof installation and maintenance of the system.

These problems were addressed by the hydronic heating system describedin Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,603 (MacDuff) which issued Aug. 6,1996. This hydronic heating system includes a conduit for circulatingheated fluid beneath a floor. The conduit is suspended a predetermineddistance beneath the floor, which provides more uniform heat transfer,eliminating unwanted hot spots. The hydronic heating system is installedso that the conduit runs transverse to the floor joists, i.e. theconduit passes through holes bored in the joists.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide an improved hydronic heatingsystem that facilitates installation by permitting the fluid conduit tobe run between, and generally parallel to, the floor joists tofacilitate installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is therefore an object of the invention to provide a hydronic heatingsystem that is rapidly and easily installed.

The invention therefore provides a hydronic heating system for radiantfloor heating, comprising a length of tubing defining a conduit withinwhich a heated fluid can be circulated; and a plurality of hangers thatsuspend the tubing a predetermined distance beneath the floor, eachhanger comprising: a stem having a top end that can be secured to theunderside of the floor; and a helical hook at a bottom end of the stemfor supporting the tubing, the helical hook having a free end that isspaced away from the stem a distance that is about equal to an outerdiameter of the tubing, the helical hook forming an arc with respect tothe stem that does not exceed 270° to permit the hook to be slid over aside of the tubing and rotated 90° to lock the tubing within the hookwhen the hanger is secured to the underside of the floor.

The invention further provides a method of installing a hydronic heatingsystem, the method comprising: extending a tubing beneath a floor to beheated; sliding a helical hook at a bottom end of a hanger over thetubing, the helical hook having a free end that is spaced away from astem of the hanger by a distance that is about equal to an outerdiameter of the tubing, the helical hook forming an arc with respect tothe stem that does not exceed 270° to permit the hook to be slid over aside of the tubing and rotated 90° to lock the tubing within the hookwhen the hanger is secured to the underside of the floor; and, slidingthe hangers over the tubing at predetermined intervals and securing therespective hangers to an underside of the floor to suspend the tubing apredetermined distance below the underside of the floor.

The invention further provides a hanger for suspending a tubing forcirculating a heated fluid in a hydronic heating system. The hangercomprises a stem having a top end securable to an underside of a floor;and a helical hook at a bottom end of the stem, the hook having a freeend that is spaced from the stem by a distance that is about equal to anouter diameter of the tubing, the helix forming an arc with respect tothe stem that does not exceed 270° to permit the hook to be slid over aside of the tubing and rotated 90° to lock the tubing within the hookwhen the hanger is secured to the underside of the floor.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Further features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following detailed description, taken in combinationwith the appended drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a hydronic heating system inaccordance with an embodiment of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of a hanger for use in the hydronicheating in accordance with the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of the hanger shown in FIG. 2, with a fastener forfastening the hanger to an underside of a floor;

FIG. 4 is a front view of the hanger shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 5 is a top plan view of the hanger shown in FIG. 2;

FIG. 6 is an isometric view of the hanger shown in FIG. 2, preassembledwith a fastener; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a section of tubing supported by thehanger shown in FIGS. 2-6.

It should be noted that throughout the appended drawings, like featuresare identified by like reference numerals.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The invention provides a hydronic heating system and a hanger thatfacilitates installation of fluid distribution tubing for the hydronicheating system.

FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a hydronic heating system, generallydesignated by reference numeral 10, in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the hydronic heating system 10transfers radiant heat from a fluid heated by a boiler 12 or otherheater for heating the fluid, e.g., water. A pump 14, can be locatedupstream or downstream of the boiler 12, although, as is known in theart, the system will perform more efficiently if the pump is locatedupstream of the boiler, as shown in FIG. 1. The boiler 12 and the pump14 can be separate units, as shown, or different subcomponents of thesame unit.

As shown in FIG. 1, the pump 14 circulates the heated fluid through atubing that defines a conduit 16. In one embodiment, the conduit is madeof a composite tubing which includes plastic and aluminum components toprevent the intrusion of atmospheric oxygen into the heating fluid,which can corrode boiler parts and even attack the plastic tubing atelevated temperatures. This type of composite tubing is well known andcommercially available from a number of suppliers.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hydronic heating system may optionally include areturn manifold 18 and a distribution manifold 20. The return manifold18 has a plurality of inlet ports 22 and the distribution manifold 20has a plurality of outlet ports 24 for connecting to other conduits 26,28 that convey the heated fluid to other heating zones. These manifoldstherefore permit several heating circuits (or “heating loops”) to beconnected to a single boiler loop.

The hydronic heating system 10 typically includes a zone valve 30 forregulating the fluid flow through the conduit 16. The zone valve 30 iscontrolled by a thermostat (not shown), which opens the zone valve 30when the thermostat demands heat and closes the zone valve 30 when heatis no longer required. Typically, the thermostat also controls theboiler 12 and pump 14.

As shown in FIG. 1, the conduit 16 loops back and forth under a floor 42of a zone 40 and runs between and generally parallel to the floor joists44. In other words, the conduit 16 passes through the “inter-joistspaces” beneath the floor 42. As shown, the tubing is pulled throughholes 46 drilled in ends the joists to enable the tubing to be extendedinto an adjacent inter-joist space.

A plurality of heat-radiating fins 50 which promote heat transfer fromthe tubing/conduit 16, are connected to the tubing 16 at predefinedintervals, as described in Applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,542,603 (MacDuff)entitled HYDRONIC HEATING SYSTEM which is hereby incorporated byreference.

As shown in FIG. 1, the hydronic heating system 10 further includes aplurality of hangers 100 in accordance with the invention. As will bedescribed in greater detail below, the hangers 100 suspend the tubing(conduit) 16 a predetermined distance beneath an underside of the floor42 in order to provide uniform heat transfer to the floor and to thuspreclude the creation of any unwanted hot spots on the floor. It shouldbe expressly understood that the distribution and spacing of the hangers100 or the heat radiating fins 50 shown schematically in FIG. 1 are notintended to reflect a distribution and spacing that would actually beused to suspend the tubing.

It should also be expressly understood that although the invention isillustrated with reference to a floor supported by floor joists throughwhich holes may be bored, the invention is equally adapted to be usedwith floors constructed with open or “space joist” systems, well knownin the art, stressed-skin panels, reinforced concrete, or any otherflooring system that presents a relatively flat floor underside intowhich fasteners can be driven.

FIGS. 2-5 illustrate the hanger 100 in accordance with an embodiment ofthe invention. The hanger 100 includes a stem 102 having a top end 104connectable to an underside 41 of a floor 42, e.g. a sub floor. In oneembodiment, the top end 104 includes an upper loop 106 formed integrallywith the stem 102. The upper loop 106 defines an passage 108 (shown inthe top view of FIG. 5) through which a fastener 110 (shown in FIG. 3)can be inserted for securing the hanger 100 to the underside 41 of thefloor 42. In one embodiment, the fastener 110 is a threaded fastenerhaving a head 112 substantially larger than the passage 108 defined bythe upper loop 106 and threads 114.

The hanger 100 further includes a helical hook 120 at a bottom end 122of the stem 102. The hook 120 has a free end 124 that is spaced apartfrom the stem 102 by a distance 126 that is about equal to an outerdiameter of the tubing 16. The helical hook spirals away from the stem102 and forms an arc with respect to the stem that does not exceed 270°(see FIG. 2) to provide a substantially circular seat 128 for supportingthe tubing 16. The geometry of the helical hook 120 facilitates thesliding of the helical hook 120 over the tubing 16 and ensures that theretention of the tubing 16 by the hook when the hanger 100 is fastenedto the underside 41 of the floor 42.

In one embodiment, the helical hook 120 is integrally formed with thestem 102. In one embodiment, the stem 102 (including the upper loop 106)and the hook 120 are integrally formed from a single piece of metalwire, stainless steel for example. The hanger 100 can be constructed toaccommodate any size of tubing. The length of the stem 102 positions thetubing a desired distance beneath the floor, such as, for example, threeinches.

As illustrated in FIG. 6, the hanger can also be preassembled with afastener 150 having a narrow neck region 152, in accordance with anotherembodiment of the invention. The narrow neck region 152 is rotatablyrestrained within the passage 108 defined by the upper loop 106. Inother words, the fastener 150 is rotatably restrained within the loop106 to further facilitate the task of hanging the tubing 16 to provide ahydronic heating system.

FIG. 7 illustrates a section of tubing 16 supported by the helical hook120 of the hanger 100. The tubing is not tightly or snugly gripped bythe hanger 100. Rather, there is enough play to permit the tubing toslide longitudinally through the hanger 100.

The hydronic heating system 10 can be installed by extending or“pulling” a tubing 16 beneath a floor 42 to be heated. The tubing 16 ispositioned between and generally parallel to floor joists 44 as wasshown in FIG. 1. Holes 46 are drilled in the ends of the joists 44 toenable the tubing 16 to be looped in a continuous circuit beneath thefloor 42. The tubing 16 is then suspended or hung using the hangers 100,which are secured by fastening each one to an underside of the floorusing, for example, a threaded fastener 110. The suspension of thetubing 16 is rapidly accomplished and the installation of the hydronicheating system 10 is greatly facilitated. It should be understood thatalthough the hydronic heating system is shown installed between joistsin FIG. 1, if an open joist system or a stressed skin panel flooringsystem is used, the hydronic heating system in accordance with theinvention can be installed transversely to joists or beams supportingthe floor.

During installation, each successive hanger 100 is slipped over thetubing 16 by passing the tubing through the gap 126 and rotating thehanger 100 about 90° before fastening the hanger 100 to the underside 41of the floor 42 using a threaded fastener 110, for example. In oneembodiment, the hangers 100 are secured to the underside of the floor 42midway between adjacent joists 44 to ensure uniform heat transfer to thefloor 42.

Once all of the tubing 16 is hung for the zone 40, the tubing 16 isconnected to the boiler 12 and pump 14, or, if there are other zones, tothe return and distribution manifolds 18, 20, as described earlier.

The heat-radiating fins 50 are attached to the tubing 16 in order topromote heat transfer from the tubing 16 to the floor 42. Theheat-radiating fins 50 may be attached to the tubing 16 after the tubingis threaded through the respective joists and either before or after thehangers 100 are installed to support the tubing 16.

The embodiments of the invention described above are intended to beexemplary only. The scope of the invention is therefore intended to belimited solely by the scope of the appended claims.

1. A hydronic heating system for radiant floor heating, comprising: alength of tubing defining a conduit within which a heated fluid can becirculated; and a plurality of hangers that suspend the tubing apredetermined distance beneath an underside of the floor, each hangercomprising: a stem having a top end that can be secured to the undersideof the floor; and a helical hook at a bottom end of the stem forsupporting the tubing.
 2. The hydronic heating system as claimed inclaim 1 wherein the helical hook has a free end that is spaced away fromthe stem a distance that is about equal to an outer diameter of thetubing, the helical hook forming an arc with respect to the stem thatdoes not exceed 270° to permit the tubing to be slid through the gap,and thereafter the hanger is rotated about 90° to lock the tubing withinthe hook when the hanger is secured to the underside of the floor. 3.The hydronic heating system as claimed in claim 1 wherein the top end ofthe stem comprises a loop formed integrally with the stem, the loopforming a passage through which a fastener can be inserted for securingthe hanger to the underside of the floor.
 4. The hydronic heating systemas claimed in claim 1 further comprising a threaded fastener having anarrow neck region that is rotatably restrained within a loop at a topend of the stem.
 5. The hydronic heating system as claimed in claim 4wherein the stem, hook and loop are formed from a single length of metalwire.
 6. The hydronic heating system as claimed in claim 1 wherein theplurality of hangers are secured to the underside of the floor betweenfloor joists.
 7. The hydronic heating system as claimed in claim 6wherein the plurality of hangers are secured to the underside of thefloor midway between floor joists.
 8. The hydronic heating system asclaimed in claim 1 further comprising heat radiating fins connected tothe tubing at predetermined intervals.
 9. A method of installing ahydronic heating system, the method comprising steps of: extending atubing beneath a floor to be heated; sliding a helical hook at a bottomend of a hanger over the tubing, the helical hook having a free end thatis spaced away from a stem of the hanger by a distance that is aboutequal to an outer diameter of the tubing, the helical hook forming anarc with respect to the stem that does not exceed 270° to permit thetubing to be slid through the gap, after which the hanger is rotatedabout 90° to lock the tubing within the hook when the hanger is securedto the underside of the floor; and sliding the hangers over the tubingat predetermined intervals and securing the respective hangers to anunderside of the floor to suspend the tubing a predetermined distancebelow the underside of the floor.
 10. The method as claimed in claim 9wherein the securing comprises inserting a threaded fastener through aloop at an upper end of the hanger and driving the fastener into theunderside of the floor to secure the hanger to the floor.
 11. The methodas claimed in claim 9 wherein suspending the tubing comprises suspendingthe tubing from the underside of the floor between adjacent floorjoists.
 12. The method as claimed in claim 11 wherein suspending thetubing comprises suspending the tubing midway between adjacent joists.13. The method as claimed in claim 11 further comprising: drilling holesin opposite ends of alternate joists; and threading the tubing throughthe holes before sliding the hangers over the tubing and suspending thetubing from the underside of the floor.
 14. The method as claimed inclaim 13 further comprising: attaching heat radiating fins to the tubingat predetermined intervals.
 15. The method as claimed in claim 10further comprising preassembling the hanger and the fastener, whereinthe fastener has a narrow neck region that is rotatably restrainedwithin the loop of the hanger.
 16. A hanger for suspending a tubing forcirculating a heated fluid in a hydronic heating system, the hangercomprising: a stem having a top end securable to an underside of afloor; and a helical hook at a bottom end of the stem, the hook having afree end that is spaced from the stem by a distance that is about equalto an outer diameter of the tubing, the helical hook forming an arc withrespect to the stem that does not exceed 270° to permit the hook to beslid over the tubing by passing the tubing through the gap, andthereafter rotating the hanger about 90° to lock the tubing within thehook when the hanger is secured to the underside of the floor.
 17. Thehanger as claimed in claim 16 wherein the top end comprises a loopformed integrally with the stem through which a fastener can be insertedfor securing the hanger to the underside of the floor.
 18. The hanger asclaimed in claim 16 further comprising a fastener having a narrow neckregion for being rotatably restrained within the loop formed at the topend of the hanger.
 19. The hanger as claimed in claim 16 wherein thehanger is formed from a single length of metal wire.
 20. The hanger asclaimed in claim 16 wherein the stem is about 3″ long.